Communications to Improve With Franklin County Tower Lease

Better communication between emergency responders in Sullivan should be the result of a new communications tower approved by the Franklin County Commission on Tuesday.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the county highway department should gain substantially better communication abilities from the new tower, which is being leased from Fidelity Communications Co.

The county is leasing the tower for five years at a cost of $4,200 per year.

The current communication tower in the area is 40 feet high and located at the Sullivan Fire Department. The new tower will be 200 feet high, Vince Zagarri, the county’s 911 director, told the commissioners.

“All Franklin County departments will have access to that tower, including the sheriff’s office and highway department, to improve radio coverage in the southwest sector of the county,” Zagarri said. “It’s going to greatly improve the performance there.”

Zagarri said the lease “is the right thing to do,” adding, “We continue to look at these leases to improve the performance of the 911 network.”